NAIROBI, KENYA: Anglican Archbishop Eliud Wabukala has criticised a statement by Archbishops of Canterbury and York which called for pastoral care and friendship to all, regardless of sexual orientation.

In his response, Wabukala said the intervention of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York had served to encourage those who want to normalise homosexual lifestyles in Africa and has fuelled prejudice against African Anglicans.

“Christians should always show particular care for those who are vulnerable, but this cannot be separated from the whole fabric of biblical moral teaching in which the nature of marriage and family occupy a central place,” he said. He added: “The good advice of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York would carry much more weight if they were able to affirm that they hold, personally, as well as in virtue of their office, to the collegial mind of the Anglican Communion.

At the moment I fear that we cannot be sure.” Nigeria enacted a law outlawing homosexuality this month, while Uganda’s parliament has passed an anti-homosexuality bill that still awaits endorsement by the president before it becomes law. The letter the Archbishops sent last week to Primates in the Anglican Communion as well as the Presidents of Nigeria and Uganda quoted the Dromantine Communiqué of 2005 ruling out any victimisation or diminishment of people on the grounds of their sexual orientation.

“We assure homosexual people that they are children of God, loved and valued by Him and deserving the best we can give – pastoral care and friendship,” the letter reiterated. Last week in London, Church of England bishops agreed to hold a mediated dialogue throughout the 80-million member Communion to reflect on Biblical passages about gays in a way that could make Anglican churches more welcoming to them. Wabukala reiterated that debating that which God has already clearly revealed in Scripture would be a waste of time adding that such dialogue only spreads confusion and opens the door to a false gospel.

“Dromantine Communiqué from which the Archbishops quote also affirmed the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution which states that ‘homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture and that the conference cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions,” said Wabukala, chairman of the primates’ council of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).

He added: “Yet, the English College of Bishops accepted the recommendation of the Pilling Report for two years of ‘facilitated conversation’ because at least some of the bishops could not accept the historic teaching of the Church as reaffirmed in the Lambeth resolution.”